The invention relates to a method for controlling a zonally operated elevator installation, wherein on a changeover floor changing between the zones is made possible, and wherein with a delivering elevator group and a collecting elevator group, transportation to and from the changeover floor is realized, and further wherein a trip destination is entered via a destination-call control by each passenger to be transported. The invention further relates to an elevator installation for zonal operation in buildings with several elevators, wherein each elevator group contains at least one destination-call input device for registering the destination of a passenger. Each elevator is assigned to an elevator group, the building is divided into zones, and a changeover floor for changing between the elevator groups is arranged between the zones.
To meet the increasing need for transportation in tall buildings, intelligent elevator controls are used. For this purpose, the building is divided vertically into 2 or more zones or floor areas. In each of these zones, one or more elevator groups can be provided to allow transportation, especially of passengers. As soon as it is necessary to change elevators to reach a higher floor area, if the incidence of traffic is high, queues can form on the changeover floors. These queues are caused mainly by unequal transportation capacities of the delivering and collecting elevator groups.
An elevator control is a central system in which the operating processes are controlled by an intelligent station in the elevator system. This elevator control can be located in the machine room, or inside or outside the elevator cars.
The changeover floors between the zones, or between two zone systems, are also referred to as sky lobbies. The problem of possible overfilling of the changeover floor can also arise when changing between zone systems.
Elevators in very tall buildings occupy a significant part of the cross-section of the building. The amount of space available on the changeover floors is usually limited, and cannot be increased without very great constructional and financial outlay.
To effectively utilize these limited capacities on the changeover floors, use is known of devices for automatically detecting when the changeover floor is fully occupied. For this purpose, space monitoring devices such as light barriers, movement sensors, cameras, etc. are used. However, these devices provide only inexact information concerning occupation of the changeover floors. Furthermore, with these devices it is only possible to reduce or optimize the delivering transportation, and thereby avoid overfilling of the changeover floor and even greater delay in the transportation of passengers, at the cost of the overall transportation volume.
WO 02/14198 describes an elevator system in which group controls are used. The group controls use light barriers or weight sensors to record the number of persons. With this system, no exact forecast can be made of where the individual passengers travel to, or how many passengers are present on the changeover floor and when.
With the measures known to date, it cannot be determined whether all the persons detected on the changeover floors want to use the connecting elevators of the upper or lower zone, or whether they leave the elevator lobby or changeover floor for the purpose of visiting offices, restaurants, conference halls, etc. located on that floor.
The solutions for preventing or limiting overfilling of the changeover floor or sky lobby known to date aim either to reduce the transportation capacity of the delivering elevator group, which at times of peak load contraproductively causes transportation peaks, or else propose measures for increasing the transportation capacity of the collecting elevator group which in practice can only be realized to a limited extent. Such measures may include, for example, increasing the speed or acceleration, or shortening the door-open times. However, in respect of motor rating and power supply, elevators are usually not overdimensioned, so that increasing their speed or acceleration can only be considered to a very limited extent. Moreover, increasing the acceleration negatively affects how passengers experience the ride, so that here also, only a very limited increase in the transportation capacity can be achieved. Shortening or optimization of the door-opening times is implemented as standard on most elevators. These measures do not allow any really noticeable increase in the transportation capacity to be achieved.